williams



(No Model.)

J. E. WILLIAMS.

SEAL.

Patented Jan. 7, 18 96.

NITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. \VILLIAMS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO LIN'FONIVILLIAMS, OF ATHENS, WISCONSIN.

SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,566, dated January7, 1896.

. Application filed June 10, 1895.

To aZZ whom, it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JAMES E. WILLIAMs, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Seals and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple, economical sealthat may be secured in place .without the use of a seal-press and whichcannot be opened without it being apparent at a glance that such anoperation has taken place.

A further object of my invention is to facilitate the keeping ofseal-records by trainconductors and others.

The several objects above enumerated I attain by the construction andcombination of parts hereinafter set forthwith reference to theaccompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

111 the drawings, Figure 1 represents an elevation of a seal constructedaccording to my invention, the view being partly in section on line 1 1of Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan view partly in horizontal section on line 2 2of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a detail elevation of one extremity of the shackle,and Fig. at a like view showing the seal in position.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents my shackle, hereinshown as made from a strip of sheet metal bent to form a circular bandhaving quarter-twist extremities that are lapped on each other aftersaid shackle is run through a hasp, staple or eyelet.

\Vhile I have shown a single-piece sheetmetal shackle it is practical toutilize other material, and it is also practical to joint said shackleas well as to vary its shape without departure from my invention.

In any of the various possible forms of the shackle I provide for anengagement of its extremities, and as a preferable construction I showthe extremityb having a spring-tongue c struck out from the metal, theother extremity cl being formed with a slot 6 for the engagement of saidtongue, but where material. other than sheetunetal is employed in theSerial No. 552,242. (No model.)

manufacture of the shackle it may be necessary to slightly change thedetail concerning the aforesaid tongue and catch for the same.

The sleeve B for the shackle is in the form of a tube made from lead orother suitable material in such shape as may be found necessary ordesirable.

In practice the sleeve is slipped onto one extremity of the shackle andthe other extremity is pressed into said sleeve to effect a catch of thespring-tongue, after which it is impossible to open said shackle withoutsplitting the aforesaid sleeve, the latter being secured against endwisedisplacement at the time the engagement takes place, because of thequarter-twist of each shackle extremity. It is also intended to have thesleeves cast with characters designating stations from which they issue,and thus train-conductors and others can always obtain the proper datafor their records, a matter that is sometimes difficult or impossiblewith the ordinary seals carelessly set by a seal-press.

My seal is especially designed for freightcars, but it is alsoapplicable for use in connection with mail and express receptacles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

In a seal a shackle, having its extremities one-quarter twist from theremainder thereof, a tongue struck up from one of said extremities, andthe other of the same provided with a slot, in combination with a sleevein the form of a tube that being placed on one of theshackle-extremities receives the other and prevents disengagement of theautomaticallyinterlocked tongue and slot, said tube being of itself heldagainst longitudinal displacement by the quarter-twists of the shackle.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atSt. Louis, in the State of Missouri, in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES E. WVILLIAMS.

\Vitnesses: G.-I-I. TEN BURK, E. T. KARWATZ.

